


Monsters Are Real, And They Win.

by OodoriSummer



Series: Super Teens [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Curses, Demons, Devils, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Fiction, Original Universe, Other, POV Original Character, Science Fiction, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24586270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OodoriSummer/pseuds/OodoriSummer
Summary: I'd suggest reading The Monster In Her Lap Fell Asleep before this one, but this can be read on its own as well.Disclaimer: Max Blythe and Ellis Ellowyn (as well as Collin Nietzsche and Aaron Sullivan) are characters made by my partner who first created this universe. We’ve built upon this for the past six and a half years so I thank them for allowing me to write this and for giving me advice on how Max acted out in the story. Enjoy!
Series: Super Teens [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1811173
Kudos: 2





	Monsters Are Real, And They Win.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd suggest reading The Monster In Her Lap Fell Asleep before this one, but this can be read on its own as well. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Max Blythe and Ellis Ellowyn (as well as Collin Nietzsche and Aaron Sullivan) are characters made by my partner who first created this universe. We’ve built upon this for the past six and a half years so I thank them for allowing me to write this and for giving me advice on how Max acted out in the story. Enjoy!

He didn't remember going to sleep, or falling unconscious at all for that matter.

The first thing Max realised in his confusion was that he was scrambling to get the headset off of him and that his heartbeat was even quicker than usual. His body likes to act quicker than his mind, but that’s to be expected - after all, he’s a super speeder. 

A blaring siren in his ears only made the fumbling even more difficult, so he reached behind his head, tore off the headset and let it roll somewhere on the floor. 

The next thing he realised was the lights. His room, which should’ve been illuminated with his white ceiling lights, was flashing with red. Whipping around to his lone window, Max saw the faint crimson spilling out of the surrounding buildings with the god-awful screeching accompanying it. He saw the dark skies and wondered, just how long were they in that game for?

The final realisation crept up on him and hit him with an exploding dread. 

_Aria._

_I've got to find Aria._

In his rush to get to his door, Max tripped over the headset he threw to the ground _twice_. 

_Slow down a bit, kid._ He told himself. Then he chuckled, because he knew that would never happen. 

When he opened the door, the red-flooded hallway was crowded with the other dorm students; past the colourful blasts of energy and electricity, the lizard scales, the swirling auras and even the crystals protruding from one student, Max could see the confusion amongst the excited. Everyone has been looking forward to this day forever, but this is definitely not how they imagined it. 

  
  


_The group gathered near a fountain on their flashy new campus after their first day of classes - Aria, Max, Ellis and Collin cross legged on the concrete, Aaron, Raven, Mimi and Merridi straight on the edge of the fountain. They are amongst the one thousand teenagers who were recruited to participate in a study that would unlock their second superpowers - a study that has developed over decades of hush work and has finally been granted permission to have mass participants,_

_“I wonder what sort of powers we will get. They said there was no way of knowing for sure, right?” Merridi brought up the topic after they relayed their excitement over the on-campus cafeterias, the shining black skies in her eyes twinkling with excitement,_

_“Yeah, the only thing we know is that it’s genetic and even circumstantial,” Raven was the most fascinated with superology (study of superpowers) amongst the eight; her looks weren’t the only impressive thing about her, but then again it wasn’t everyday that people encountered such fair skin, such gorgeous white hair and such beautiful emerald orbs. Her iconic red lipstick was just bold enough to make those lingering glances last a second longer,_

_“Some genes are really strong though, what if you just get your parent’s or even grandparent’s power?” The same could’ve been said for her twin sister but, unfortunately, her eyepatch only made people gawk at her; because even in a world of superpowers, a bandage over an eye is unusual,_

_“Again, we don’t know for sure. Besides, you might get shocked with an old one that hasn’t been seen in your family for centuries,” Ellis was always quick to follow up on Mimi - it’s like he couldn’t make his crush any more obvious._

  
  


Max leaned against his door frame while the students started to file out of the hallway, the dorm heads and scientists rushing them to the exits. The red rave still flashed on the walls and floors, but Max’s rapid, pounding heartbeat overtook the blaring sirens - he _needed_ to find Aria, 

“Max! For the love of all gods, what the hell are you doing?!” 

Ellis was the only one in the group who lived on the same floor as Max, at least that became handy for once (Max was sick of breaking up Ellis’ fights). He tugged at Max’s arm to get a move on, which was easy since the deceivingly-short guy had super strength, but the taller planted his feet to the ground with a loud _clang_ \- self-metal transmutation, that was a part of Max’s newfound second power, 

“Aria’s going to-”

“She’s going to be fine, and you know that! She’s well and truly capable of getting out of here!!” Ellis wasn’t going to have any of it. He managed to pull Max again but both of them are _very_ stubborn young men, so Max just dug himself to the ground and glared daggers at his friend.

The superteens stared at each other - Max, disoriented but determined to find their friend; Ellis, disappointed but not surprised. Ellis has known him long enough to understand that he can’t sway him at this point, but with the way Max and Aria’s relationship has been the past few weeks leading up to the game, he wasn’t sure if Aria even wanted to see him right now. Unfortunately, Max knew that too. 

  
  


_He was sitting at a table in one of the on-campus libraries, mindlessly scrolling through his phone instead of doing his assessment. It was only 9 in the morning and even he wondered why he tried coming in so early just to do nothing._

_Max went to his phone gallery and stared at his latest photo of Aria: she was sitting on the grass with study materials all around her, a stray eraser here, two textbooks there and a notebook in her lap. She was biting the end of her pencil - an old habit of hers - crossing her eyebrows at the jargon in front of her eyes. He saw the stress and frustration that Aria was exhibiting leading up to exam season, so Max dragged her out on an outdoor study session to keep her mind fresh and energised for the first exam, the one she’s about to start in half an hour._

_In half an hour…._

_He almost dropped his phone when it clicked, but the super speeder kept himself together as he opened his messages and sent Aria a text,_

**_[09:03]_ **

**_Max: Good luck on your test, angel! You’re gonna do great!_ **

_It didn’t take long for a response._

**_Aria: Thanks~ tbh it’s stressing me out so much lmao_ **

_Max’s body sometimes acts on his heart instead of his mind - he wants to be there for the people he loves when they need it but this… was taking it a step too far._

_He was going to meet Aria when her exam was supposed to finish, so he knew exactly where he was going. She hadn’t even put her phone down to her side because he went from the library to the exam room in three seconds flat_ _._

_Aria’s eyebrows twisted. Awww, just like the photo, he thought._

_Her mouth couldn’t make anything that was comprehensible besides a few sputters before she finally managed to ask just what the hell was he doing there,_

_“Just…” He didn’t think this through, and he could tell that Aria knew just from the way she looked at him that morning: with her lips pressed together and her bronze eyes boring into his skull,_

_“Just wanted to wish you luck one last time, is all,” He tried sending her a smile, but only got an eyebrow raise in return. Instead, he opened up and wrapped his arms around her into a warm embrace, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before hiding his face in her amber hair. In the clear, he thought,_

_Aria whispered a thank you before she carefully pushed him off of her, looking down and away from his face. She could feel the other students trying not to look, they knew she would snap at them if they were, but the back of her neck was burning with embarrassment. He didn’t do this sort of stuff even when they were friends._

_And it continued, MANY times over the next few weeks with exam season and the term break. Aria’s stressed about an exam? Max comes and tries to comfort her. Aria’s about to start crying in the middle of the movie because a dog just died? Max is babying her. Aria's frustrated because she can’t get the right shade of green for tree shadows in her art? Max pulls her into another room to settle her nerves. By that point, everyone in their squad noticed something was going on. They all know about Aria’s short temper but even this seemed like a stretch. Right around the fifth time was when Aria stopped hanging with Max completely. He would never admit it out loud, but he sighed with relief._

  
  


The second his foot exited his dorm building, Max was already at Aria’s. It was completely empty, meaning all of the students here evacuated already - meaning that Aria was gone too. 

His groan was drowned out by the sirens, which were still going off even with the vacated halls, when he suddenly remembered. 

_Aria didn’t play the game in her room_. 

She was roommates with Merridi, who’s been her best friend since they were young tods. They were part of the lucky bunch who were able to have rooms with someone else on campus, unlike students such as Max and Ellis who were alone. The game makers had one roommate play in a separate room for safety, but where those rooms were Max didn’t know. He couldn’t go out and find them straight away, not without someone stopping him. He had to be sneaky. 

  
  


_A few weeks before exam season, Aria’s mum, Vinnie, had contacted Max._

_He sat across from her at the Strongflo’s dining table. Their house was always just a bit nicer than the average one, with the way the spacial and colour harmony vibed with the calm serenity; a surprising environment for a father and daughter with fiery temperaments._

_Vinnie was the first to speak with a quiet ‘thank you for coming’ - she specifically asked him to come alone without telling Aria, and Max sure as hell doesn’t know why. She knows about his relationship with her daughter so that’s where his mind went first, but Vinnie continued speaking before he could go down any spirals,_

_“You are well aware of Aria’s anger issues,” And he nodded. To be honest, it’d be difficult to find someone in her life that didn’t._

_From there Vinnie couldn’t open her mouth for a while, as if she had to be careful about her next choice of words. Max slowly felt a tense atmosphere weigh down on him as the silence stretched. He really had no clue where this was going,_

_“I am afraid that,” another pause, “Her anger will spiral out of control one day…. And she wouldn’t be the same ever again,” Max desperately wanted to laugh, maybe even smirk at the least, because he’s seen Aria’s anger get the better of her. Quite a few people have been sent to the nurse’s office because of her - and her ability is flight. She’s proficient in some fighting styles and has very good coordination over her body, and that’s owed to her father’s military background,_

_“Max, I called you here because I needed to tell you this face to face,” Vinnie looked at him closely, and he could see that what he’s about to hear next will be the most important part of the conversation. However, there was another long silence, and it made Max incredibly uncomfortable. Their relationship is pretty good, don’t get him wrong - in fact, Vinnie had been egging Max on for a long time before he finally got with Aria - but they’ve never had a moment like this before._

_She has brown eyes. He noticed this for the first time that day, because she was crying and trying really hard not to. Must’ve gotten her bronze eyes from her Dad, he thought._

_Her hand was surprisingly cold when he held it. Max is always on a mission to comfort anyone, regardless of how close he is to them,_

_“Please be there for her, and remind her how much you all love her,”_

  
  


Max had gone up to Aria and Merridi’s room just to be sure, and it was just as it should be - empty. He saw a headset lodged in the ceiling, meaning that whoever threw it off must’ve been in an even bigger panic than Max. Knowing that even Aria didn’t have the strength to send something halfway into such a surface, he figured that it must’ve been Merridi who played in their room. 

Looking out their window, he saw other students gathering just outside the campus. Honestly, Max didn’t understand why there was so much commotion. He figured that the game had a glitch or something and shut down, or maybe it was hacked. It was live streamed to the whole world, afterall. 

In an open world sandbox layout, the players had to find their way to the grand prize, which was to be split amongst the winners. To help minimise the number of winners the players had to fight amongst each other. The superologists had tuned the teenagers to have their superpowers unveil themselves during these fights - in a moment where they were pushing themselves to use their powers and their bodies beyond what was capable. It took a meticulous and precise training process to fine tune them and make this possible, but some subjects (like Max) ended up gaining their powers early. Luckily, he was still able to participate in the game. The research facility/academy decided to entertain the public and live stream the tournament to the public, to show off their marvelous research. It was all fun and games up until a few moments ago. 

A guttural cry cut through the fucking alarms - _can they stop already?_

It was a roar, a damn loud one to beat the sirens. An awful chill struck Max’s body when he realised that. The idea of a glitch or a hacking stayed in the room when he made his way back to the exit - he had to find Aria **_now_ **. 

  
  


_The last time they saw each other was just the night before._

_Max opened his door when he heard the knock. Aria’s fist was still in the air while the other was pressed against her lip. Her eyes widened when Max appeared in front of her - you can’t get used to super speeders answering immediately._

_They laid down together on his bed. The sun was only inches away from meeting the horizon, so the vibrant orange that saturated the small room made Aria look and feel even more beautiful. He could only see the top of her head that rested on his chest but her hair looked so soft and so gorgeous he just wanted to run his fingers through them and kiss her locks. Their hands were intertwined with each other’s and Max took in the time to feel every part of her that was touching him - her hands, her skin, her hair, her head, her body, her legs that twisted with his - everything. His heart felt full with his love for her, but he also felt it weighing down on the both of them._

_He knew he took it too far. The promise he made with Vinnie was a promise he was meant to give the others, their friends; but he took it all on himself, the burden of eight people. It stressed him out trying to make sure Aria wouldn’t break - day and night he would go to her and instead it chipped away at him. It made the beautiful sunset plain ugly with the tension that hung in the room._

  
  


Max couldn’t see any students or staff nearby, but he still trod through the campus with caution. 

He was at one of the educational buildings, peeking around the corner to see if the coast was clear, when he felt something rope-like wrap around his arm and squeeze with an iron grip. The ground disappeared under his feet when he was flung backwards, dragged by the grip, and he collided with a solid wall - actually, maybe a body. He couldn’t pin it because the next thing he knew, something bulky slapped him on the chest and lodged itself there. 

All at once Max felt like he was drowning; like he fell overboard into the ocean’s stormy grey waves and he couldn’t swim. The thunderous clouds struck at his chest as ice gripped his hands and feet; his mind and lungs empty and struggling as he tried to breathe and get a grip on himself. He slumped to the ground with the bulky piece tilting his balance and making him fall forward, and no matter how hard he tried pushing himself off the ground it only came back to greet him again. Confusion and horror clashed as he tried to comprehend what the hell was happening to him. For once, his body couldn’t respond to him.

His powers had been blocked. 

Whatever, or whoever, put the device on him picked Max’s body off the ground like a rag doll and began to head outside the campus. He couldn’t even struggle because he was numb; the only sensation he could feel was the anxiety clawing at his chest. The roar pierced the air once again and Max’s anxiety soared - he couldn’t move, he couldn’t fight back, and worst of all, he couldn’t find Aria. He may have screwed up his promise but he knew he had to be there for her. He just knew. 

  
  


_The sun set hours ago and Aria was still in Max’s room but they hardly spoke a word to each other. They both knew they needed to talk, badly. For some reason they didn’t. Aria would look up at Max with the bronze eyes that he oh so loved, but he could see something trapped behind them and she wouldn’t bring it out. He didn’t want to press her because he realised how much he put her through the past few weeks, but at the same time he wanted her to open her heart and tell him everything._

_Max knows that Aria doesn’t need protecting, in fact it was her strength and ferocity that made him fascinated - he admired it, he respected it, and he wanted that drive too, but he knew how dangerous it was. He knows that people don’t see her as a person but more like a bomb that’s just about ready to set off, and because of that she had difficulty keeping people around her. Right from the beginning of their relationship Max wanted to show Aria he was someone that wanted to stay around, and he proved that really quickly. They hung out more and more back at their old highschool, their groups invited each other to different outings before they eventually became one, and above all, they fell in love with each other._

_Max continued staying by Aria’s side despite everything that happened since going to the academy. Their group stayed solid, but a lot of new relationships interfered with their dynamic. It took them some time to let things fall back into place, with the exception of Max and Aria’s blossoming romance. Now it looks like Vinnie’s nightmare is about to come true._

  
  


His body met the ground again when the captor reached the crowded students. It took the device off of Max’s chest and it felt like life had kissed him on the lips and gave him another chance, but he could only sit up and wait for his energy to come back. His heart felt hollow, however, from the stress of what just happened. 

In his haze, Max could see the students, the staff and the scientists looking around and chattering, trying to figure out what was going on inside the campus. He noticed for the first time that there was a line of people circling the facility - stern, black-clad supers that definitely weren’t in the academy security team. Max could swear he’s seen their uniforms before...

Black trucks surrounded the crowd to ensure that no one would leave, and Max could see that there were no policemen. He began to join in the confusion for the first time since he was in his room. 

Someone was calling his name, he could tell, but too many thoughts were running in his mind to make him comprehend who it was. When he felt a hand on his back, propping him up, did he finally look and see that it was Merridi. She steadily pulled him to his feet; Max could feel her telepathic force and not her hands helping him, 

“Where’s Aria?” they both asked, 

“Where was she taken for the game?” Max panicked, 

“I don’t know - apparently they finalised those just hours before it started. Ellis told me you were looking for her,”

“I got caught, I haven’t gotten the faintest idea where she could-”

Another roar interrupted their conversation, and it was closer this time. All of the campus members turned towards it and tried to get a look of what it could be, but the security supers held them at bay. Merridi signalled Max to follow her and he took her back to the rest of their group - Mimi, Raven, Collin, Ellis and Aaron, standing near the back with a bigger truck a few metres away from them. He noticed their change in expression as they approached from relief, to questioning, and to worry. They didn’t exchange any words as they looked at each other. Usually, Max would try and change the vibe to cheer everyone up, but a time like this just wasn’t appropriate. 

Another roar and some screams from the front lines made them turn their attention to the campus entrance. The rousing crowd blocked whatever it was they were reacting to, but it split in two as it started to be taken out. The security supers changed formation to control the crowd and allow the thing through. Max saw some students shoving forward to get a look before they pushed and screamed at each other to get away - their group was no exception. The teens scattered to weave their way through the crowd, but what they saw that night…. They wish they never saw at all. 

A specialised catchpole hung at its neck; it sent constant flows of electricity to keep it from lashing out but only made its horrendous screeching even louder. But what the creature was, they would never have anticipated it. 

Black followed bronze as crack-like markings drew from her blackened sclera and onto her cheeks, her forehead, creating a mask that resembled dry earth. Following the shape of her head were two bony, ringed horns that hung proudly from her skull. Her black claws tried to grab at anything that was warm and pumped blood - blackness that crawled up her hands and just past her forearms, her feet bearing the same pattern. 

Coating the baleful black was fresh crimson. It dripped from her chin and her claws like she ravished the perfect piece of fruit, and feasted from the orchard it bloomed from. Whatever she did, it earned her title of ‘monster’ well and truly. 

Max felt the world slow down, and it was very different from when he used his super speed. His friend, his love, his _life_ kneeled on the ground, struggling and screaming, in a form he’s never seen before. Everyone moved away to hang onto life, everyone was _scared_ of her. She was literally being held on a pole like a dog, like an _animal_. 

His body acts faster than his mind sometimes, that had been well established by this point in his life. He felt hands holding him back and his friends calling his name before his mind caught up to his actions - he had leapt forward to go to her, but the security supers grabbed him before he could get an inch closer. Max felt the heavy device slam onto his chest again, but the god-awful drowning was a mere needle twinge to his torso compared to the feeling of his world falling apart. 

He could have stopped this. 

He could have prevented this demonic form from ever awakening in her. 

He unknowingly made that promise to Vinnie and he failed, terribly. 

His chest rumbled as he yelled, calling out to Aria to get her attention. When her eyes met his, he felt his heart break, 

  
  


_She looked up at him many times that night, and each and every time her eyes met his. The last time it happened, before she got up and left to let him sleep, she smiled softly and whispered,_

_“I love you.”_

_He loved her, too._

This time he saw a myriad of emotions trapped in her eyes - confusion, terror, anxiety, loneliness, defeat. He knew no one would see that beyond the black cracks, but Max could always see through the first layer, always. 

The hands all over him had to pull harder as they took Aria towards one of the trucks, opening a door to reveal a steel enclosure. In a rapid succession, they threw her into the truck, dislodged the pole from the electrified collar and slammed the doors shut. You could immediately hear banging and screaming from inside which sent the crowd another step back, afraid she might actually break out. Security was not phased whatsoever - they seemed used to this. 

Max lost the energy to keep fighting against the guards, of course that’s owed to the power-blocking device. They ripped it off of him before shoving him towards his friends. He heard them give some sort of warning but he wasn’t listening. It took much longer for his energy to stamina to recuperate this time round, so he couldn’t do anything as some of the supers marched back to their trucks, 

And disappeared in a flash.

Audible gasps came out of the gathered crowd when they saw nothing beyond the outskirts of the campus anymore. The remaining supers wouldn’t let them recover as they began to talk to the staff on what to do next. 

Max and his friends stood there, all frozen in shock as they stared at the spot where Aria’s truck was. Max stepped forward to see if it really was gone, not just invisible or something, but it was - nothing left but a bit of a residue smoky smell from the flash. He slowly but surely sat down cross legged, the rest of them accompanying him with no hesitation. They all looked at the speeder, his eyes still wide and gleaming in shock and the heartbreak evident on his chest somehow as he breathed heavily. It would take anyone to tell that what they witnessed that night changed their lives forever. 

Hot tears flooded his eyes. Tears for Aria, for not being there for her, and for being there for her too much. They streamed down his cheeks as his heart called out to the sky, begging all the gods to bring her back. His screams embodied as much pain as Aria’s, the one that was taken away. For once, he could hear something: the sounds of his friends grieving with him - wailing, sniffling and sobbing. 

Frantic shoe-clicking echoed from the stone ground. When Max and the squad turned their attention to it, they were surprised to see Vinnie. Her wild hair of a mess meant that she had flown over there, and in a frenzy too, because she was only holding her house keys and a throw blanket around her shoulders. Her face melted into sorrow when she realised she was too late, and her daughter’s closest friends had seen it. 

Max can somehow tell when a Strongflo woman has read him, because when she walked over and sat down in front of all of them, she only looked at him, 

“You did what you could,” she couldn’t blame the boy for what happened, “It wasn’t in your control.” Because she witnessed everything that happened that finally made her daughter snap. 

But that’s another story.


End file.
